The eye is naturally bathed internally and externally by ocular fluids. The external portion of the eye is lubricated by lacrimal fluids (tears). The internal portion of the eye has two fluid-containing chambers: the anterior chamber contains the aqueous humor or aqueous, and the posterior chamber contain the vitreous humor or vitreous.
Various conditions require the need to introduce fluids into or on the surface of the eye to replace or replenish naturally occurring fluids. The loss of naturally occurring ocular fluids may be due to normal aging, pathological conditions, surgical intervention, etc. For example, during ocular surgery, the vitreous is frequently removed and must thereafter be replaced. Commercially available irrigating solutions are often used to replace some or all of the vitreous, such as irrigating solutions infused to replace the vitreous removed during vitrectomy and thereby to maintain the shape of the globe. The composition and other properties of these solutions may affect the surgical outcome for the patient, for example, a solution may affect the clarity of the cornea and lens, which may result in decreased visual acuity. Additionally, swelling of the cornea during vitrectomy may be influenced by components of the irrigating solution. Other conditions such as dry eye disease result in decreased external lubrication, and topical solutions such as eye drops are often used to provide relief. Wash solutions are used topically to remove foreign material from the external surface of the eye and invasively to clear the cornea and other structures during surgery.
Ocular solutions, for introduction into the eye and/or topical application, with improved properties are desirable. The invention describes such compositions and method of using the compositions.